What You Mean To Me
by fallingsnow6136
Summary: When Hayate Oozora confesses to his best friend Nozomi Shinkai that he loves her beyond friendship, her response is one that is quite unexpected. Unrequited love, OC/OC.


_Okay so this is kind of another new thing I'm trying for this week's theme and it features two of my OC's. Most of the server members know about Nozomi who is Haru and Rei's daughter so she'll be featured in this one. It will also feature Hayate Oozora, Yuujin and Ai's adopted son and to know more about him, I recommend reading 'I Love You, Okaasan' as it is a story about him and Ai. Extra info: Nozomi calls Rei 'Mom' and she calls Haru 'Dad'._

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Nozomi had never really understood it when she saw couples exchanging sweet kisses or going on dates or just being so touchy-feely all the time. She didn't even really get it with her own parents but at least with them, she could rationalise to herself that it was more than that because they seemed like such good friends along with being life partners but these people – how long had they known each other? Some of them had been set up on blind dates for Valentine's Day from their friends and had somehow become inseparable after that that not even a crowbar could pry them apart. Her eyes travelled through the University corridors, observing the people there.

"Nozomi?" Her best friend Hayate had been trying to get her attention for the last two seconds and she blinked.

"Oh sorry Hayate-kun," Nozomi apologised. "I didn't see you there."

"No, it's okay," Hayate said with a soft smile. "But I really wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a free period or something?"

Nozomi checked her watch. "Yeah, I've still got an hour before my next class." She smiled. "Let's head out to the courtyard away from all this lovey-doveyness." Humans could be weird sometimes, she knew she was part human too but this was a part of humanity that never made sense in her mind. She knew what love was. She loved her parents, she loved Hayate, her aunts and uncles but kissing all the time and sticking to each other's bodies like glue did not feel like love to her. Once they were in the courtyard though, she shifted her red and gold eyes towards Hayate, focusing all her attention on him. "So what did you want to talk to me about Hayate-kun?" She knew her friend had told her she could drop the honorific because it felt too formal but Mom always said it was good to be polite and it had a nice ring to it anyway.

Hayate shifted and Nozomi noticed he was wringing his hands and his palms were sweating lightly. She had read in various books that this was usually something known as a nervous tic. But why was her friend nervous? Should she try and make him feel better? She wasn't as good at that as Dad was though.

"Hey is…is everything ok?" Nozomi asked, trying to sound smooth but her voice came off a little nervous and shaky, absently realising that the temperature around them was cooling down a little too much but she wasn't sure how to stop it.

"Yeah," Hayate said softly. "I just…I really like you Nozomi. You've always been my precious friend and we've had a lot of memories together, a lot of fun but lately my feelings for you…they've changed. You've become more than just a friend to me, Nozomi."

Nozomi stared for a moment, not even sure how to respond. She may not understand a thing about romance but even she could tell that was a love confession. Hayate wasn't just a random person who grew to have a crush on her though. He was her friend. Her precious friend and she loved him. She loved him a lot. But the thought of kissing him, the thought of being that physically close to him made her feel a little sick to the stomach and made her head spin.

"_Nozomi," Dad would say to her at a time like this. "Listen to your heart and be true to your feelings when you express them."_

Her Dad's words gave her a little of courage and she slowly stepped closer to Hayate. "Hayate-kun…I'm sorry I do love you but it's not in the same way you love me. You're very precious to me. Someone who makes me feel that I'm not so different from other people even with my powers, someone who accepts me even when the whole world might reject me. I love you a lot Hayate-kun. I really do. But the thought of kissing you, going on a date with you or doing any of the things Mom and Dad would do with one another, it…it makes me feel a little bit nauseous. I'm not really sure why but I know I love you the way I love my Mom and Dad. The way I love Uncle Yuujin and Aunt Ai. I'm sorry…" She shifted, knowing she had probably hurt him by these words and shifted her gaze to the ground. _Dad, following my heart may be apt advice but it's really hard to implement when it's your own friendship at stake. _She looked up when she felt Hayate take her hand and tried to get a read of what he was feeling. His eyes were slightly teary but he had a smile on his face. How could a person be crying and smile at the same time? And why weren't there books which helped her understand the complexity of human emotions?

"Thank you for being honest with me, Nozomi," Hayate said softly. "I know it must have been scary. I wanted to ask but you always have a right to say no when you're not comfortable with something."

Nozomi shifted a bit. "Are…are we ok Hayate-kun?"

Hayate smiled a little wider. "Of course. I'd never let something like this get between our friendship. No means no and saying yes is never a requirement in these types of things. I love you too, Nozomi. I'd never give up someone as precious as you for something like this."

Nozomi wrapped her arms around Hayate, pulling him into a hug and he squeezed her in return. "I love you too, Hayate-kun. You'll always be my precious friend."


End file.
